ASBC & OccupyDC

Sorry for the lack of personal posts this week.  I was in DC Wednesday and Thursday for the American Sustainable Business Council annual meeting.  I’ve been honored to serve as Vice Chair of the Board. 

We had some great meetings the first day hearing from representatives from the EPA and the President’s economic team.  That night there was an elaborate reception for ASBC at the home of John Jameson, an old friend.

Thursday started off with presentations from Irasema Garza, Chief of Staff to Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan.  Then the ASBC folks were off for a day to visit 30 Congressional offices.

But it wasn’t all work for me.  I squeezed in some time to join the OccupyDC rally at Freedom Square just blocks from the Capital.  It was a big crowd, full of energy and rage against corporate greed.  Here is how Public Citizen describes the Occupy movement.

It’s no mystery why the Occupy Wall Street and related protests are capturing the country’s attention. Americans are furious about the state of our nation, and they’re right to be. Millions of people are out of work because of Wall Street’s recklessness. Millions more have been thrown out of their homes for the same reason. Meanwhile, the federal government fails to take obvious steps to address these problems because of the outsized influence of the very Wall Street firms and giant corporations that caused our economic problems. The country is past due for a mass protest movement demanding justice.

Occupy is a growing movement and one that every small business owner needs to learn about and even support.  The message is all about creating jobs and maintaining a strong middle class.  In small business speak—that means creating the customers we desperately need